Drawings We Have Lived: Mapping Desire Lines in Edmonton

Abstract

Desire Lines are grassy pathways formed when many people walk the same way over and over again – exploring or shortcutting through city space. Thus, they display an urban history while shaping a space’s present as well. From May to August 2012, I mapped and documented Desire Lines in Edmonton. This paper chronicles my methods and findings, and situates the concept of Desire Lines in a larger theoretical context.

Constellations is a student-run, student-written, and student-reviewed undergraduate journal, using a traditional peer-review system common to academic journals. Constellations strives to provide a forum for young historians and classicists to have the experience of writing for an academic journal.